Light earthquake strikes 300km east of Maldives

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.9 struck 306km northeast of the capital Malé around 3:30am on Wednesday.

An official from the Maldives Meteorological Services said three people from the northern island of Naifaru in Lhaviyani atoll reported feeling tremors after the quake.

The earthquake was not powerful enough to cause a tsunami, the official said.

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred 286km east of Naifaru at an underwater depth of 10km.

Earthquakes with a magnitude between 4 to 4.9 are classed as light. Tremors are often felt but only causes minor damage. An estimated 30,000 earthquakes of magnitudes between 2.5 and 5.4 occur each year.

Some resident of Naifaru told local media that they felt the ground shake for a few minutes.